The population that would seek BJJ would be the same type of population that would seek Judo or Wrestling, and I would venture to say, boxing (since it's also an alive MA/sport). And those sports have always been popular... and they are as much action oriented as they are technical.

Now, consider the following, either back then or now, most people didn't know and don't know what judo is, and though and still think wrestling and boxing are not martial arts. The same ignorance existed with regard to BJJ as it does exist now. Maybe not the same, but ignorance of one form or another remains and will probably remain for a long time.

People who put their kids in Judo, wrestling or boxing do so out of knowledge, and have been practitioners of one or another at some point. So I wouldnt' be surprised if the same Dad or Soccer Mommy who takes little Tyler to his judo/wrestling/boxing lessons would also be the same parent who will appreciate BJJ as well.

Hmm...I see your point, but beg to differ a little bit in that BJJ now (and even moreso a decade ago) is less recognized than the other activites you mentioned. Judo has been taught nation wide for a very long time, much longer than BJJ and is more recognized in pop culture ("Judo chop!")

Boxing has been shown on various TV networks for decades.

Wrestling is taught in high schools and is an Olympic sport.

5/04/2006 9:44pm,

Freakshow

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan McScary

Hmm...I see your point, but beg to differ a little bit in that BJJ now (and even moreso a decade ago) is less recognized than the other activites you mentioned. Judo has been taught nation wide for a very long time, much longer than BJJ and is more recognized in pop culture ("Judo chop!")

Boxing has been shown on various TV networks for decades.

Wrestling is taught in high schools and is an Olympic sport.

Why don't you do this...

Pick out the people that you are doubting. And start doing some research on the Internet. Look for figher bios, interviews, MMA articles, etc. You can find out then when they started, and under who.

5/04/2006 11:24pm,

CNagy

Quote:

Originally Posted by elnyka

What do you mean by traditional martial artists? Most of them do MT, Kickboxing, boxing and wrestling in one form or another. And BJJ is not a new invention. All those sound traditional to me :tongue3:

I really should have qualified that statement, huh? They don't sound traditional to me! They sound like newfangled, competition arts that sully the image of truly traditional (and traditionally useless) martial arts!

*Ahem* That is to say, when I hear the words martial and art, I do not see MT, kickboxing, boxing, wrestling, BJJ, etc. Those aren't "arts," those are systems of fighting, as far as I am concerned. An art is something generally more aesthetically pleasing and generally far less useful in application. Of course, this is all my opinion. I don't think of Kickboxers as artists, for example, I think of them as fighters.

5/05/2006 12:26am,

Cassius

Quote:

Originally Posted by CNagy

Just as a thought, but maybe alot of the TUF guys with years of BJJ experience are where they are because of it? I mean, TUF boasts pulling 16 of the best fighters in the country (only now it went international) together for its competition. It seems like less of a case of "they just happen to have studied BJJ" and more "they got in early, stuck it out, had talent for fighting, and rated highly enough because of it to warrant a spot on TUF."

Just a thought, though. But I don't really see any traditional martial artists on the show.